


know thy enemy

by Hannaadi88



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bottom Sokka, M/M, Minor Violence, Top Zuko, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 01:30:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20845322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannaadi88/pseuds/Hannaadi88
Summary: A few years after leaving the South Pole with his father and the tribe's men to join the war effort against the Fire Nation, Sokka is sent on an undercover mission into the Fire Nation's capitol city to gather information on the Fire Lord's family. When Sokka runs into trouble at a local bar, a handsome stranger with an eye patch comes to his rescue.Sokka unintentionally gathers more information than needed.





	know thy enemy

Sokka tightens his coat around him as he walks down the street. He isn’t cold, but the coat is uncomfortable, and he can’t wait to take it off and trade it for his real one when he returns to camp.

He doesn’t understand how people in the Fire Nation walk around in such form-fitting clothes. How do they breathe? And their coats are flimsy as fuck. One strong gust of wind from the South Pole would be enough to tear a large hole right through the sorry excuse of a coat he’s currently wearing.

Sokka actually suspects that his coat used to belong to a middle-aged woman, which could be the reason why so many people are giving him odd looks as he continues to aimlessly walk around. It wasn’t Bato’s fault- they had to be quick when they’d nabbed the coat from the clothesline the other day at the farm they’d spotted on the way to the city.

Beggars can't be choosers, and a war is no time for squeamish morals. If you're prepared to kill, then you certainly shouldn’t have a problem with stealing some clothes for an undercover mission.

That makes sense in his head. But somehow, that reasoning doesn't sit well in Sokka’s stomach. He decides not to think about the poor farmer’s wife who is probably suffering from the cold, and turns the corner into an alley as he gets another frown from someone in a uniform.

The idea had been simple, really. Go into the city, blend in, and try to obtain as much information as he can about the royal family. The men had argued over who to send to gather the intel, and it was agreed that they needed someone who wouldn’t be noticeable or suspicious. Someone who could get people to talk without drawing too much attention to themselves. Someone who wouldn’t be perceived as a threat.

Nobody had objected when Sokka volunteered. Not even his father.

That didn’t mean that Hakoda hadn't talked his ear off before he left, of course, giving Sokka advice and detailing exactly what he needed to do. What he shouldn’t do. What to do if he gets into trouble. It was natural, given that this is Sokka’s first solo mission.

He’d tried to play his nerves off as excitement and to focus on the opportunity he’d been given to prove himself as a solider. As a Water Tribe Warrior. But mostly, Sokka had devoted most of his energies to reassuring his father that he was ready for this.

But given his current situation, Sokka isn't entirely sure that he is.

His nerves have more or less faded since he'd made it into the city, though, which must be a good sign. Sokka had devised an elaborate story about needing to visit the city to find a doctor for his ailing brother in the countryside, but the guards at the gate hadn’t stopped him or even looked his way when he’d walked through the gates.

It probably helped that they'd been busy checking the permit of an older man with a cabbage cart, but their disinterest was reassuring. It’s only now that the sun has set that people have started to look at Sokka strangely.

Maybe it was time for him to leave and return to the camp. But Sokka can’t bring himself to go back without obtaining any useful information. Somehow, the fact that cabbages go for seven Yuan a head doesn’t sound like the kind of intel his father is looking for.

No. Sokka had wasted all his time just wandering around the city like a tourist. It was time to get to work and sniff around. There's still some time before the city locks its gates for the night; he's going to find out as much as he can about the royal family, and prove that he can be trusted to be sent out on his own. 

As much as Sokka hates the Fire Nation and everything it stands for, its cities are nothing like the village he’d left in the South Pole three years ago. And though he’s been in other cities before with his father and his men, none of them were been as big as the Fire Nation’s Capital City. Sokka has never seen so many people in his life all gathered together in one, bustling metropolis. He can't help but want to explore.

Such vastness makes him worry, though, that once he does obtain the information they need to continue with the second phase of their plan, they’ll get lost before they’re even able to reach the palace and snatch one of the royal children.

Zuko and Azula, if Sokka remembers correctly. What strange names. Stupid Fire Nation with their stupid royal family with stupid names.

Sokka wonders which child his father will choose to kidnap, once he returns with the intel. Who would be more difficult to corner and overpower. Simply based on their ages, Sokka imagines that they will be targeting Azula, who is a few years younger than him- and a girl, to boot. As a Fire Princess, she's probably lazy, pampered and an easy target to simply haul away and use as leverage for the Earth-Water alliance.

Hopefully she won’t be too much of a handful.

But Sokka is getting ahead of himself. He still doesn’t know anything about the royal family aside from their names and ages, which he'd known before entering the city. He needs to find someone and ask them the real questions- where do the children live? Where do they spend their time? Does the Fire Lord play favorites? Who would he miss the most?

Turning yet another corner, Sokka hears laughter coming from a lit-up building down the street. His brows knit in confusion before smoothing over with the realization that he’d obviously entered the entertainment district.

Men in the company of scantly-dressed women pass him down the street. Those girls probably need Sokka’s coat more than he does. The stench of alcohol is overwhelming, and Sokka bites his lip in thought as he fingers the few coins in his pocket that his father had given him.

_Information can be bought_, he’d told him, and Sokka had boasted that he didn’t need to pay someone to get them to talk.

But perhaps some lubrication was needed to get Fire Nation men to open up. And who would say no to a free beer?

“First timer?”

Sokka startles and turns around, reaching for the sheathed knife in his other pocket. But it was immediately apparent that the man who’d spoken to him wasn’t a threat- with one hand clasping a bottle and the other holding the alley wall in support, the man was clearly drunk.

“No need t’look so embarrassed, everyone remembers their first time,” the man continues with a sloppy smirk.

Sokka slips both of his hands into his pockets and offers the man a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, I guess so. Am I that obvious?”

“Y’stick out like a sore thumb,” the man confirms and takes a step forward. Sokka tenses as the man wraps an arm around his shoulders, but accepts the sudden weight with a grunt.

“Come, lemme show ye ‘round,” the man slurs, tugging Sokka forward with every shaky step. “Marcella knows ‘xactly what ta do with newbies.”

Sokka immediately stops in his tracks, face uncomfortably warm, and the man stumbles for a moment and tightens his grip on Sokka’s shoulders.

“Whas wrong?” The man complains, puffing his stale breath in Sokka’s face. Sokka grimaces and pulls the man’s arm off his shoulder.

“Sorry, not interested. I was actually thinking of-“

The man’s confused expression changes and he raises a knowing brow. He reaches out with his free hand to grab Sokka’s thigh and squeeze.

“Oh, I gotcha,” the man whispers and gives Sokka an obvious once-over. “Y’know, if ye wanna, ye can have a go with me- I won’t charge ya like the men in the corner do.”

“What? No!” Sokka splutters and steps back. “I-I mean, no offense, but that’s not what I’m here for! I just want to get a drink!”

The man gives him a long look before shrugging and turning around to point a shaky finger at the establishment Sokka had noticed earlier.

“No better place ta get drunk than the Inferno. Knock yerself out.”

Sokka nods.

“Thanks… I guess,” he mutters and quickly walks in the direction of the so-called Inferno, eager to put as much distance as possible between him and the drunkard. Though if his goal had been to avoid drunk men entirely, he’d literally walked into the belly of the beast.

Drunks are a good source of information. That’s why he’d decided to head in this direction in the first place (and no, it definitely wasn't because he’d gotten lost). Sokka just hopes that _these _drunk men won’t be as handsy as the first.

A quick look around is all Sokka needs to observe that The Inferno is packed with Fire Nation men of all sorts - young and old, civilians and soldiers. Some are sitting at round tables with company, and some are sitting alone at the bar like a young man Sokka gets a glimpse of as he walks in. The guy is certainly curious, what with his large eye-patch that covers most of the left side of his face. Sokka briefly considers chatting him up for information, but one pointed glare is enough to send him in the opposite direction to a table with three older men playing a card game.

Sokka had thought he’d be spending his money on buying someone a drink, but in the end, it turns out that paying to participate in one of the group’s games is a better strategy by far. These men are quite chatty.

“This is gonna be my last round for tonight, Izo,” one of the men huffs as he places a coin in the middle of the money pile. Izo, the card dealer, clucks his tongue.

“But you only just got here, Akire. I thought you said you wanted to have fun.”

Sokka silently adds his own coins to the pile as Akire shrugs.

“Don’t blame me. Blame the Fire Lord and his infernal taxes. Just the other day my woman came home crying about how the price of flour has gone up. Can you imagine that? Raising the price of _flour_? We’re all gonna starve to death, I’m telling ya.”

The third man at the table clears his throat.

“It’s for the Ba Sing Se campaign, we all know that. Once the second siege is over, things will get better.”

“Well, I don’t see the royal family cutting back on anything to help the cause,” Akire mutters and draws a card. “Typical Bane, always making excuses for the Fire Lord.”

Sokka draws a card as well and sets it down on the table.

“Yeah, he’s been super greedy, living in his big fancy palace and all that,” Sokka casually adds, looking around the table and noting how the so-called Bane is giving him a dirty look.

“Exactly! And that brat Prince Zuko manages to waste the taxpayers’ money without even living in the palace. Got his own household with his uncle, and now we’re supporting two separate staffs.”

Sokka tries not to look too excited at this new bit of information. Prince Zuko isn’t at the palace? That is definitely something his father and his men will need to take into consideration.

“…why is that, anyway?” Sokka asks, drawing another card when his turn comes.

“You aren’t from around here, are you,” Iko states, raising a brow.

“N-no, I’m actually from a village outside the city,” Sokka’s cheeks flush. “First time here without my father.”

Iko nods and deals another round.

“Rumor has it that Prince Zuko embarrassed the Fire Lord at court and that his own father challenged him to an Agni Kai. When he lost, he was banished to his uncle’s mansion to learn humility and earn the Fire Lord’s respect.”

Sokka’s eyes widen. He doesn’t know what an Agni Kai is, but it doesn’t sound like something a father would do to his son. He can’t even imagine a scenario in which his own father would go as far as to _banish_ him.

“Prince Zuko carries with him the shame of his loss on his face,” Bane says solemnly as he adds a coin to the pile. “I am in no position to criticize our Fire Lord, but I feel for the prince, forever scarred with that burn mark.”

Sokka can’t help but sympathize as well. Sure, this Zuko guy is the enemy, but it sounds like he’d suffered at the hands of the Fire Lord quite a bit himself.

“Well, I for one have no sympathy for the brat,” Akire huffs and takes a sip of his drink. “The guy is a violent bastard with a quick temper who thinks that he can get away with anything. It’s no wonder he’s been banned from practically every bar in Capital City.”

Nodding, Sokka reveals his last, winning card and feels rather good about himself as he reaches for the coin pile to collect his winnings with a triumphant sound. Important information and tripling the amount of coins he’d walked into the city with, all in one night?

His father will be proud.

Bane grabs his wrist before he can even touch the pile, though.

“There’s no way a kid like you from a village wins his first round,” Bane snaps and stands up. Sokka winces as the grip on his wrist tightens. “You cheated, didn’t you?”

“What? Of course not!” Sokka shoots up from his seat as well, heart thundering in his chest as he tries to yank his wrist out of the man’s grasp. All he manages to do in the process is knock over Akire’s drink.

“Hey!” Akire jumps to his feet and grabs Sokka by the front of his coat. “You better pay for that, you cheater!”

Sokka looks pleadingly at Iko from across the table, but the man sits back in his chair with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches the scene unfold. With a sinking feeling, Sokka realizes that he won’t be getting any help from him.

“I told you, I didn’t cheat!” Sokka snaps and slips his free hand into his coat pocket, grabbing his emergency blade. Just in case. "You can use those coins to buy yourself a new drink, I don't care!”

The one thing he hadn’t taken into consideration is that when fire meets alcohol, things tend to go up in flames.

Heat licks at his wrist and Sokka looks down in alarm. With his luck, of course Bane would turn out to be a bender- and if he doesn't pull away, Sokka is most likely going to lose his hand. He struggles frantically, trying to get away, but all it does is anger the men even more. Sokka tenses as he sees a fist aimed at his face, and he’s ready to pull out his blade when he’s suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked back.

Sokka yelps, stumbling and falling to the floor, swearing as he nicks his finger on the blade. When he looks up, Sokka blinks in surprise as he sees someone standing between him and the angry men, twin balls of flames burning in his palms.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Bane growls, though Sokka can’t see him from his current vantage point. “You know the rules, no bending indoors!”

The young man in front of him scoffs.

“How about picking on someone your own size? This kid didn’t cheat, and you know it. You’re just trying to scare him away.”

Sokka takes some offense at being called a kid, but now doesn't feel like the best time to contradict his savior. He slowly pushes himself up to his feet and peers over the stranger’s shoulder at his assailants.

“You have some nerve butting into someone else’s fight,” Bane hisses and Sokka’s eyes widen as he sees the man’s hands light up with flames as well. “Mind your own fucking business, runt.”

Sokka spots Akire coming at the stranger and before he can think it through, he rushes at him, landing a punch and sending the man stumbling back. The stranger turns to look at him in surprise and Sokka recognizes him as the brooding young man from the bar with the large eye-patch.

Huh. He never would've pegged him for someone who’d go out of his way to help a guy he doesn’t know. Or anyone, for that matter. His scowl from before had been very unpleasant.

Now, however, there’s a smirk on the guy’s face, and Sokka finds himself staring a second too long. The smirk disappears and is immediately replaced with a concentrated frown.

“Duck!”

Sokka doesn’t think twice and does as he’s told, ducking and taking a few steps forward as the stranger shoots a scorching flame where Sokka’s head had just been. The flame meets Bane’s, making a dangerous sound as they meet in the middle and then dissipate. Sokka gulps.

“C’mon, get the money,” the stranger yells over his shoulder as he continues to fight. Sokka watches for a moment before rushing over to the table, intent on gathering his winnings. With the stranger engaging Bane and Akire nursing his bruised cheek at the bar, Sokka thought he’d be in the clear.

He’d forgotten about Izo.

“You might have won this fair and square,” the older man says calmly, jingling the coins in a leather pouch as Sokka skids to a stop in front of the table, "but we don’t play fair at the Inferno.”

“Screw that,” Sokka snaps. “Hand it over!”

Izo moves quickly and before Sokka can think, there’s a fist in his gut and he groans, crumpling to his knees. He grits his teeth as he’s forced to watch Izo shoot him a smug smile before turning and disappearing through a back door.

Typical Fire Nation.

“Are you okay?”

Sokka grunts and forces himself back up, turning around to see the stranger standing next to an unconscious Bane. He offers a curt nod.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he says.

The stranger looks between him and the back door and raises a brow.

“Do you want to go after him?”

Sokka shakes his head.

“Nah, it’s not worth it. Let’s just get outta here,” he mutters and starts to make his way towards the entrance. The stranger nods and follows him outside. They walk to the edge of the street before Sokka turns around and gives him an awkward pat on the shoulder.

“Uh, thanks. For back there,” Sokka clears his throat. “You didn’t have to do that.”

The stranger shrugs.

“But I wanted to.”

That makes Sokka smile, despite himself.

“I appreciate it. I had no idea they’d-“

“Flip when you won? Yeah, that happens a lot,” the stranger rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

Sokka laughs self-consciously and pulls his coat a little closer.

“That obvious?”

The stranger nods.

“Yeah, but I’ve also never seen you here before.”

Sokka raises a brow.

“You’re a regular?”

“You could say that,” the stranger says.

“Well… Alright, then,” Sokka clears his throat. “As fun as that was, I really should be heading back. To the village. Where I live.”

The stranger blinks.

“The city gate should be locked by now. You should’ve left the bar forty minutes ago.”

Sokka’s eyes widen and he can practically feel the blood draining from his face. The gate is locked? How can that be, he’d been watching the clock! What is he going to do?

_Fuck._

His father is going to kill him.

“…you don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”

Sokka bites his lip and shakes his head.

The stranger gives him a long look before sighing.

“Listen, I wasn’t planning on bringing anyone home tonight, but I guess you can stay with me if you want to.”

Sokka blinks.

“Dude, I don’t even know your name.”

The stranger looks at him blankly before snorting.

“Well, I don’t know yours, either.”

Huh. Fair enough.

“I’m Sokka,” Sokka says and extends his hand. The stranger takes it, but rather than shake it, he simply holds it in his own. His hand is warm and a little calloused and Sokka can feel that warmth returning the color to his cheeks.

“Sokka,” the stranger repeats. “Not a typical Fire Nation name.”

Sokka wants to hit himself. He’d come up with an entire fake backstory, but he hadn’t thought of using a fake name?

“It’s an old family name,” Sokka says quickly and coughs, retracting his hand from their strange not-handshake. “Well? What about you?”

“I’m Ko,” the stranger says confidently and takes another step closer. Sokka holds his breath as Ko reaches out and tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

What exactly is he getting himself into?

“I-I’m sorry,” Sokka stutters and pulls away, putting some distance between them. “I shouldn’t.”

Something flickers in Ko’s expression before he checks himself and gives Sokka an unimpressed frown.

“Okay, whatever, I was just trying to be nice,” he mutters and turns away, waving his hand over his head. “Good luck.”

Something akin to disappointment weighs heavily in Sokka’s chest as he watches Ko walk away. He wonders if he’d made a mistake. Rationally speaking, it made no sense to follow a stranger home- even if said stranger was hot and had just saved his ass from potentially being burned off.

Sokka should be focusing on trying to scale the wall or something, anything to return to the camp. His father is probably worried sick.

But, on the other hand, Sokka’s father had always said to go with his gut. To trust his instincts. And Sokka’s instincts tell him that Ko is a nice guy and that he’d be stupid to refuse an invitation to a warm bed and even warmer company. It was starting to get cold out, and Sokka’s stupid coat simply isn't going to cut it.

“Wait!”

Ko stops and turns around, surprise clearly etched on his face.

“Hold on,” Sokka calls out as he quickly catches up with him. His face feels warm again as he reaches out and takes Ko’s hand.

“Sorry, I just had to think about it for a minute,” Sokka states. “I’d like to go home with you. If the offer still stands, of course,” he adds with a nervous smile.

Ko stares at him for a moment before a wide, ridiculously handsome smirk spreads across his face.

“Follow me.”

.x.

Ko’s house is huge. A mansion, really, with a staff and everything. Sokka can’t stop staring as Ko leads him up the stairs and into a bedroom larger than Sokka’s family’s igloo back in the South Pole. He doesn’t get much time to look around, though. Not once the door is closed behind them.

Ko grabs him and presses him against the wall. Sokka has exactly zero problems with this as he meets Ko’s lips halfway in a clumsy kiss. It’s more tongue than anything else, really, and Sokka is reminded of how long it’s been since he’s kissed anyone. Life on the road isn’t ideal for cultivating relationships. Especially with a war going on.

“You kiss better than you fight,” Ko states as they pull apart for air and Sokka doesn’t know if he should take it as a compliment or not. He decides to reach out and drag Ko in for another kiss instead.

“Shut up.”

Ko bites Sokka’s lip and takes advantage of Sokka’s gasp to deepen the kiss. Sokka is given no choice but to wrap his arms around Ko’s neck as his mouth is thoroughly ravished, with Ko’s tongue brushing against the roof of his mouth in a way that makes him weak in the knees. Ko seems to sense this, because the next thing Sokka knows, he’s being lifted off the floor and carried over to Ko’s enormous bed.

It shouldn’t be as hot as it is.

“Everything here is so big,” Sokka murmurs as Ko lays him down on his back. He raises a brow and flashes Ko a wolfish grin. “Are you trying to compensate for something?”

Ko barks out a laugh as he slips his coat off and yanks his shirt over his head. Sokka’s eyes drink in the suddenly naked expanse of Ko’s chest and stomach.

_Damn_. Someone works out.

“The only person here who needs to be compensated is the little old lady you stole your coat from.”

Sokka eyes widen a bit and he flushes. He knows Ko is just teasing him, but that remark had hit a little too close to the truth.

Deciding to rid himself of said coat, Sokka sits up and pulls it off, throwing it onto the floor in a consistently-growing clothing pile. By the time they both look back at each other, they’ve left nothing to the imagination.

“Fuck,” Sokka breathes and reaches out, running a hand down Ko’s chest. “Beating up that guy must’ve been a piece of cake, huh?”

Ko’s skin is warm and firm under his palm and Sokka can feel the rise and fall of Ko’s chest, quickening as he looks up and their eyes meet.

“I’d beat up anyone for you,” Ko says carelessly and tucks a finger under Sokka’s chin. Sokka’s entire body runs warm as his face is tilted up and they meet in a slow, languid kiss. Ko gently pushes Sokka back onto the bed and slips between his thighs without breaking the kiss. Sokka makes a soft noise as Ko moves his hand up to tug at his wolf tail.

“D’you like that?” Ko murmurs, tugging again and yanking Sokka’s head back as he trails his lips down Sokka’s throat. Sokka moans as he feels teeth dragging against his skin and digs his nails into Ko’s shoulders.

“So are we gonna fuck or what?” Sokka huffs.

Ko chuckles and releases his grip on Sokka’s hair, which Sokka briefly mourns. He isn’t left wanting for long- Ko moves down, canvassing Sokka’s body with his mouth as he goes. By the time Ko’s hands frame Sokka’s hips, Sokka is flushed and aching.

“You’re really pretty, you know that?”

Sokka flings an arm over his eyes as Ko spreads his legs and latches his lips onto the skin of Sokka’s inner thigh. He whimpers.

He can feel the mattress shift under him as Ko raises himself to his knees. Sokka curiously peeks from under his arm and then gasps as Ko takes both of their cocks together and rolls his hips.

“You- ugh, yes, just like that,” Sokka rambles breathlessly as he bucks his hips, seeking out the friction he finds in Ko’s hand. He’s never done this before, exactly, and Sokka gets a small thrill every time he feels the damp skin of Ko’s cock brush against his own.

By the time Ko releases their lengths with a grunt, they’re both hard and wet. Sokka is about to ask once more that they get on with the program, but all he lets out is a dismayed whine as Ko suddenly pulls away.

“Where-“

“Just wait a second,” Ko says, rolling over to the side of the bed and opening the drawer to the nearest bedside table. Sokka settles back down and grabs a pillow to stick under his hips while Ko rolls back to him.

Just because he'd decided to take a break and fuck on the job doesn’t mean that he has to be sore tomorrow morning. At least, sorer than necessary.

Ko raises the small container in his hand and tilts his head.

“Do you want to, or-“

“You do it,” Sokka cuts him off and spreads his legs wide open with a huff. “But be gentle, okay? It’s been a while.”

Ko gives a stiff nod and opens the container, scooping a liberal amount of whatever lubrication it was and carefully spreading Sokka’s cheeks. He circles Sokka’s entrance for a few, tantalizing seconds before pressing in.

Sokka’s voice is hoarse when Ko pulls his fingers out for the last time. He looks up to find that though Ko hadn’t spoken much as he’d opened him up, his lips are pressed in a thin line and his face is significantly redder than it had been before.

It looks like Sokka isn’t the only impatient one.

When Ko finally grabs his hips and pushes inside him, Sokka throws his head back with a moan.

Ko really has nothing to compensate for.

.x.

When Sokka opens his eyes, the bright morning light blinds him and he scowls. He makes to turn away from the window, but with a jolt he realizes that he can’t move. There’s an arm draped over his waist and a warm body pressed against his back.

A very naked body.

Sokka swallows thickly and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath before opening them again and ever so carefully lifting the arm up and off his waist. Once freed, he slowly inches away from his sleeping bedfellow and climbs off the bed.

In truth, Sokka wouldn’t mind sleeping in. But he’s still technically on a mission and he’d be lucky if his father hasn’t already sent a rescue party after him. He needs to return to the camp as soon as possible.

As he quietly pulls on his clothes, Sokka notes the various marks on his body. The bruise on his stomach from Iko’s punch. The litany of bite marks and bruises that litter his neck and thighs. Sokka’s face colors at the thought that he’ll have to find a scarf or something to cover them up from his father.

There’s a loud snore from behind him and Sokka jumps. He turns around and relaxes when he sees that Ko is still lying there, fast asleep.

He really is handsome, despite his eye-patch.

It’s a shame Sokka will never see him again.

Sokka contemplates leaving a note, but as he doesn’t immediately find a quill and paper, he gives up. It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Sokka hopes Ko won’t hate him for pulling a vanishing act, but it really was just easier this way.

Sokka finds it surprisingly easy to sneak out of Ko’s mansion and walk out of the just-opened city gate. He gets a strange look from one of the guards, but Sokka doesn’t give it a second thought.

He just wants to get back to the camp.

When Sokka finally comes across the familiar tents, he’s greeted by his father’s men, patting him on his back and lowering their voices as they tell him how much Hakoda had worried about him. Sokka braces himself for a confrontation, but when his father parts his way through the crowd, the first thing Sokka gets is a long, tight hug.

“I was so worried,” his father whispers and gives Sokka one last squeeze before pulling away. “I was going to go into the city myself and find you if you didn’t return by midday.”

Sokka looks down at the ground, guilt flooding him. While he’d had a good time, his father had been out here, wondering where he was. He’s an awful son, and a worse warrior.

“I’m sorry, father,” Sokka says quietly. “I didn’t mean to stay the night in the city. I lost track of time.”

His father looks at him, considering, before offering Sokka a small smile and clapping him on the back.

“We’ll discuss it later, Sokka. For now, do you have any information for us?”

Sokka brightens at the chance to redeem himself. He shares with Hakoda and the men surrounding them all the things he’d learned about the royal family. He smiles proudly as Bato squeezes his shoulder.

“This changes things,” Bato says and turns to Hakoda. “We should discuss our plans.”

Another man steps forward and hands Sokka’s father a scroll.

“I found this near the city wall,” he explains as Hakoda unrolls the parchment. “I think it’s a propaganda poster. At least we now know that they all look like!”

Sokka curiously looks over his father’s shoulder at what appears to be a portrait of the royal family. His eyes carefully study the image of the Fire Lord and his daughter Azula. There is no sign of a Fire Lady.

When Sokka’s gaze falls on Prince Zuko, however, he freezes.

_No._

It can’t be.

…

He recognizes that face.

“Sokka?”

Sokka blinks and turns to look at his father and the men, who are all staring at him with obvious concern.

“Son, are you feeling well?”

Sokka quickly nods and plasters on a fake smile as he looks back down at Prince Zuko’s portrait.

“Yeah, I’m fine! Just tired!”

He wonders if his father would still look at him with the same worry and affection if he knew that Sokka had spent the night with the Fire Lord’s son.


End file.
